WWE: 7 Innovations Vince Russo Did That Changed Wrestling

6. He Made Backstage Segments As Important As In-Ring Product

If you watch any WWE programming today then you know that backstage segments are a huge part of the show. It wasn't always like that. For most of the 1990s, if you saw a wrestler backstage they were likely doing a formal promo with an interviewer. Seeing them in vignettes or skits was pretty rare. Once Russo became a part of creative they became a regular thing. When you see these segments on Raw you have to throw your brain out the window a bit. Wrestlers are directed to act as if the camera isn't there. When an interviewer is there, they acknowledge the camera. It's confusing and a bit silly, but that's pro wrestling in a nutshell. Those backstage segments were key in the development of a lot of performers in WWE. Some of them really thrived when they didn't have to be in the ring to cut a promo while others just looked like awful actors. It gave a lot of them personality and that's what made them worthwhile. There are times when WWE overdoes the backstage segments and times when more are needed. Clearly they are here to stay because 15 years later we see those kinds of segments on WWE TV all the time. Without Russo they wouldn't be nearly as common or as popular as they are today.